Two-time Juno Award winner Lovena B. Fox has deep family ties to Hogan’s Alley, a famous neighbourhood and former hub of culture in Vancouver, B.C.

Fox was in town to perform a one-woman concert, celebrating Black History Month.

Titled Boots to Broadway, the show was hosted in partnership with the Hogan’s Alley Society and the Jr Black Achievement Awards Society, paying tribute to legendary artists like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Beyoncé.

Lovena’s parents were important figures to the nightlife of Hogan’s Alley, as her father Ernie King was a musician and club owner, while her mother was Choo Choo Williams, a dancer and entertainer.

Fox spoke with CBC’s Lyndsay Duncombe on The Early Edition ahead of the Feb. 6 concert.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What does it mean to you to be back in Vancouver for this performance?

It’s wonderful, I’m so excited. Because I haven’t performed in Vancouver for over 22 years. The last thing I did here was Evita at the Arts Club Theatre, so I’m just thrilled. And I’ve been performing my one-woman show for several years and this is gonna be the first time anyone in Vancouver is going to be able to see me do it.

Your family has such deep roots here, ties to Hogan’s Alley, tell me about that?

My father, he was a great jazz musician named Ernie King, and he grew up in Hogan’s Alley. I think when he was seven-years-old, his mother moved the family from Calgary to Vancouver and that’s the area that he grew up in.

What are some memories or stories that were passed down to you from the neighbourhood?

I know that my grandmother used to babysit Jimi Hendrix. And so I have a close family tie to his family. And my aunt, my dad’s older sister used to dance with Jimi Hendrix’s uncle, they entered dance contests.

Also my parents owned a nightclub. My mum, her name was Alice Marcella King, she grew up in Alberta, but after marrying my dad they moved back to Vancouver and opened a nightclub called the Harlem Nocturne, which was close to Hogan’s Alley.

That was a popular night spot and people like Ike Turner and the Harlem Globetrotters, any Black entertainers that came to town, that’s where they would go to hang out after their shows.

You came up with such a legacy all around you, how do you think that history shaped you as an artist?

I would say that because of my parents being so musical and in the business, they were very supportive of me, and encouraged me to pursue music. They didn’t push it on me, but they were happy when I did it — they got me singing lessons, dance lessons, and I actually thought I was going to go into business, but then when I started singing they were absolutely thrilled.

How did communities like Hogan’s Alley in Vancouver really shape the Black community in B.C.?

I never really saw it, because that was when my father was a child, but I heard some of the stories from the people that were from there. Unfortunately when they built the Georgia Viaduct, that kind of dissipated the community.

So I don’t know much about it myself personally, but apparently it was vibrant, they had great restaurants and clubs, it was quite a rich environment. I’m sad that I never got to experience it, growing up.

Tell us about what we’ll see tonight?

A lot of my background is in musical theatre, so I’ll be doing some of my favourite show tunes from Showboat, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Evita, and more. It’s a well-rounded performance and I sing, I dance, I talk a little about my life experience, and I’ve got great musicians that are going to be backing me up and so it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve been doing this for over twenty years on cruise ships and it goes over really well, so I’m excited to bring this to Vancouver.

You live in Las Vegas, the United States is a challenging place to be right now, what’s it like for you?

Fortunately, I travel a lot, and so I’m rarely there. But it’s really sad, a lot of the things that are happening down there and I do worry. I’m very grateful I was born in Canada and I can always come back. And I’m seriously thinking about coming back.

As I get older, I appreciate Vancouver more and I appreciate the people here. The most important thing in life is the people that you love and care about, and I really want to spend more time with my family and friends here.